


Perennial Days

by cajuncherrybee



Category: 30歳まで童貞だと魔法使いになれるらしい | Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (TV)
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, M/M, TOTALLY NOT, not a projection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:00:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29817063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cajuncherrybee/pseuds/cajuncherrybee
Summary: Adachi attempts to surprise Kurosawa. But the universe seems to have other plans.
Relationships: Adachi Kiyoshi/Kurosawa Yuichi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14
Collections: CheriMaho White Day Gift Exchange 2021





	Perennial Days

**Author's Note:**

  * For [modorenai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/modorenai/gifts).



> For modorenai,
> 
> I hope their love in this fic is disgusting enough for you.
> 
> -cherrybee
> 
> Prompt: “Anything fluffy set in canonverse! I just need more of Adachi and Kurosawa being disgustingly in love with each other.”

Kurosawa is a romantic. 

Adachi knows that. More than anyone in the world right now, perhaps. Adachi takes a bite from his onigiri while his other hand mindlessly twirls his pen around his thumb. He looks outside the window and sees nothing but the cloudless blue sky and a few birds flying from time to time. 

It’s boring, he thinks. He crumples the plastic that covered his onigiri after taking his last bite. He is bored. So bored. He gives his pen another twirl before he stops. It now sits on his palm, its weight slightly heavy. He takes it between his two fingers and looks at it. Carefully looks at it, just as he had done so a thousand times before. It’s red, gold, and shiny. Fancy even. Arguably, this is the fanciest thing he ever owned. 

It pulls a tug in his heart.

It’s boring, and I miss him. As though summoned by his thoughts, he receives a text from Kurosawa. 

_**Have you eaten?** _

A Line sticker of a bear with a question mark follows. 

_**Yup!🍙🍙, he replies, adding two onigiri icons anticipating his next question. What about you? Have you had lunch yet?** _

_**Yeah, I just finished mine. My next client will be here any minute now, though.** _

_**Midori Stationery?** _

_**Yes. We should come here someday. The pasta is fantastic!**_

Kurosawa sends him a picture of a pasta dish, which is safe to assume was his lunch. He does this every time he goes somewhere without Adachi. Like a diary of sorts, just between the two of them.

_**Looks good! Here is mine, hahaha!** _

Adachi takes a picture of the crumpled plastic on the table and sends it.

_**Oh! I can see their car pulling around. Talk to you later!** _

_**Good luck! You can do it! I know you can!** _

Kurosawa sends a sticker of a blushing bear. 

Almost a minute had passed since Kurosawa’s last reply, and the ellipsis had not reappeared. Thinking that that was the end of their conversation, he closes the app. Suddenly, a notification appears at the top of the screen.

_**Miss you.😔** _

Then, another one.

_**Wish yo were here.** _

And, another.

_**Cant waif 2 see you tonight.💗** _

Adachi does not reply. At least not right away. He bites the inside of his cheeks to keep himself from smiling too much because damn him if Kurosawa does not make him blush. And he is blushing right now. Intensely so, if the heat on his cheeks is to go by. He covers his mouth with his hand as his smile grows bigger. 

Aaahhh Kurosawa…

He looks outside the window to help calm himself down. It has been a little bit over a year since that night at the rooftop. Despite that, he cannot say that he has gotten used to the sentimentality of their relationship. And at this rate, he does not believe he is going to anytime soon. Kurosawa, for all his sappiness, makes him feel good, wanted, and loved. Adachi, despite his embarrassment, relishes the feeling. In times like these, he is most thankful for the invention of stickers, emojis, or anything that conveys feelings without words. 

A simple, Me too, seems inadequate (and anticlimactic). Adachi sends a sticker of a brown bear holding a heart peeking through a wall. 

That is as sappy as he can get. At least for now. 

_Aaahhh, Kurosawa is rubbing off of me…  
_

# 

🍒🍒🍒

12:15  
Only fifteen minutes have passed since lunch started. With nothing else to do, Adachi lets his mind wander. 

What are we going to eat tonight?  
Should I buy something? Would Kurosawa buy something for dinner? He most likely would. I’ll buy beer just in case.

Ah! That bird almost hit the window. 

I only need a year of Miju’s past transactions to complete the data. Aaahh, this reminds me of the first time Kurosawa helped me.

Unknowingly, a smile creeps on his face (again). He tries not to show too much of that, lest he invites unwanted questions. Adachi is mysterious enough as it is for many of his co-workers (he got his introversion to thank for that) that anything beyond his usual stoicism and mild demeanor would pique their curiosity. Urabe’s remarks and questions are more than enough to handle (sometimes). Having more people privy to his life can be downright scary. Of course, this is not to say that his co-workers pay attention to him. 

Or so he thought.

“Eehhh, look at you smiling!” says Miki from accounting halting his train of thoughts abruptly. “Who’s the lucky girl, huh?”

“Eh?” he answers with as much eloquence while straightening himself. Adachi bites the inside of his cheeks and momentarily covers his mouth as though doing so would erase his smile. “I’m sorry?”

With a tray of food in hand, Miki continues to look at him, smiling, clearly amused, and with evident curiosity. Adachi briefly makes eye contact with her, bows his head, and smoothes his thighs. Miki’s eyes narrow as she continues with her gaze. With each passing second, Adachi feels as though she is boring into his soul. He never really knows what to do in these situations, other than to touch his nape, give shy and abrupt glances, and smile faintly - which he does. 

He also wishes for the ground to open up and swallow him. Although, he opts for a more realistic approach.

Miki laughs after what seemed to be forever. “Just kidding! Can I sit here as well?” 

“Ah, yes.” Adachi’s laugh is shaky, nowhere near the friendly one Miki gave.

“Thank you!” Miki places her tray near the window, a few feet across from where Adachi is seating.

“But seriously, though, that was some smile you got right there!” She raises her hand. “Girls, over here!”

“Girls?” Adachi turns around and sees three people approaching their table. He cannot remember the name of the other two, but one of them is Fujisaki. At least, that is a relief.

“Adachi-kun,” Fujisaki greets him as she takes a seat beside him. 

“Fusijasiki-san”

“Have you eaten?” she asked.

“Ah, yes. I have. Thank you for asking. Have a good meal.”

Thankfully, his worries of getting mixed into their conversation disappear as none of them engaged with him afterward. He fiddles with his phone and browses his social media. Time passes by like that with him, on his own, while the others continue with their conversation.

“...that’s why I told him, I can’t be the only one making plans all the time! How hard is it to come up with a place? Just google something!” The girl with short hair says so with exasperation.

“Girl, at our age, you can’t be coddling boys,” says Miki. “That kind of behavior is good when you’re young. We’re pushing thirty; he needs to get his shit together!”

Adachi can’t help but listen to their conversation. Although his eyes are on his phone, his full attention is on the young man who needs to get his shit together.

Also, this is a good topic of conversation later with Kurosawa.

“He did remember our anniversary, though." says the short-haired girl, her voice sweet this time.

“Wow, the bar is low.” Miki deadpans. He hears Fujisaki snort beside him. 

A part of Adachi had always been curious about what other couples do in their relationships. Not to compare what he and Kurosawa have, but to simply gauge how he is doing as a boyfriend. He never really brought this up to anyone, especially Kurosawa (“You are good enough, Adachi.” He could easily imagine him saying. “You are more than what I could hope for.”), and his best friend is similar to him in that they both lack the experience. So, he mostly settled with internet forums and overheard conversations. 

“He gave me flowers. A huge bouquet of roses.” the short-hair girl says (he made a mental note to learn her name), more so to convince her peers.

Kurosawa gave him a huge bouquet, too, on their first anniversary. A hundred red roses, to be exact. He suggested that they split the bouquet in half as he simply had no room for that much in his apartment.

Silence follows her statement. He starts to feel bad for this girl. Seemingly, her boyfriend is not doing a good job. The longer the silence stretches, the heavier this man’s sins weigh.

“Adachi,” Miki calls his attention seemingly out of nowhere.  
His head jerks by the sudden attention. 

“Eh?”

“Make sure,” she points her spoon at him for emphasis, “to also treat your girl, okay?”

“Eh?”

“She can’t be the only one doing all the work. Us, girls need to be pampered too.”

“He’s in a relationship? Adachi is in a relationship?” One of the girls, who has not so much as a peep, decides to interject at that point.

Adachi takes this as his sign to exit. 

“I’m going back to work now. Thank you.”

“There are ten more minutes left.” he hears her say as he hurriedly goes back to the office.

🍒🍒🍒

On Tuesdays, they make it a habit to have dinner over at Kurosawa’s. As he walks out of the convenience store, a plastic bag of canned beers, on one hand, he receives a text from Kurosawa. 

The first one he got since lunch.

_**Can you pick some food on your way? I wasn’t able to buy some. I’m sorry.** _

_**Are you already home? What do you want?** _

_**Not yet, just a few more minutes. Anything is fine.** _

_**Chicken wings?** _

_**Sure!** _

_**Ok! see you :)** _

Kurosawa seems...odd. Something is off, and he could sense it. Luckily, there is a branch of the fast-food chain that they both like just across the street. Just as before the pedestrian light turns green, he sends a text.

_**Is everything okay?** _

He receives a reply just as he opens the door of the restaurant.

_**Yeah. Just tired. See you in a bit.** _

He wishes that they could fry a little bit faster than usual. 

🍒🍒🍒

As per usual, Kurosawa greets him with a smile. 

"Welcome home," he says as he removes the bags from Adachi's hands. He could see that Kurosawa already had the table set. 

He watches Kurosawa as he carefully lays the bags’ contents on the table, his back facing Adachi. He half expected Kurosawa to be less than cheerful with his greeting based on his texts - clipped answers and no stickers or emojis used. Although, a better part of him already knew that this is what he would come home to - Kurosawa greeting him with a blinding smile.

"I'll go change," Adachi announces as he makes his way to the bedroom.

"I prepared the bath already if you wanna take one now," Kurosawa says without looking away from his task. Adachi stops at the threshold of the bedroom.

Adachi's heart skips a beat. It always feels nice to have someone to come home to who would always take care of you. 

"Oh, thank you. Have you taken a bath?" he asks out of pure curiosity. Kurosawa thinks differently, however.

"Why?" Kurosawa licks his fingertip, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Ah! Kurosawa! That's not what I mean!" Adachi should have seen this coming. Though, he's not complaining.

He quickly grabs the first hoodie and sweatpants he sees in Kurosawa's closet.

"Is this a new flavor?" Kurosawa asked him on his way to the bathroom.

🍒🍒🍒

Their dinner went by rather quickly, with Adachi filling in Kurosawa with details of his day. He talked about his work as well as the conversation he overheard during lunch. For the most part, Kurosawa remained silent and only gave some comments here and there. At some point, he saw Kurosawa staring at his glass, his mind elsewhere. Kurosawa promptly gave him a clipped smile when he called his name. 

Something is bothering him. That much, Adachi is sure. And as much as he wanted to ask Kurosawa right then and there, he knew him well enough that doing so would do them no good. Like him, Kurosawa bids his time to open up. And Adachi gives him that.

“Do you like the new flavor? I thought it’s weird, but it’s pretty good,” says Adachi, as he places the chicken bones on his plate.

Kurosawa hums in agreement. He is on his last serving as well.

“Cherry flavor, huh? Who would’ve thought?” Kurosawa licks his thumb for the last time and stands up to carry his plate to the sink. Kurosawa is about to take Adachi's plate away when Adachi grabs Kurosawa's arm. 

“It’s my turn, remember.” Nobody remembers. They lost track of that a long time ago. “Just go and watch something, okay?”

It takes a moment before Kurosawa gives his reply. 

“Okay.” His eyes are as soft as his voice when he looks at Adachi. They speak of gratitude.

Adachi takes their plates to the sink and puts on his gloves. 

“Thank you,” Kurosawa whispers to him, his one arm wrapped around his torso. He is gone before Adachi can reply.

He needs time, and Adachi would give him that.

🍒🍒🍒

Since dinner, two hours have gone by, and they barely spoke with each other. Only the noise from the television - which Adachi has not been paying attention to - keeps them company in their otherwise silent night. Adachi will steal glances at Kurosawa from time to time. It is difficult to make out Kurosawa's expression with the TV being their only source of light. The silence weighs heavy on him with each passing minute, though. Unable to hold it any longer, Adachi reaches out to Kurosawa and squeezes his arm gently.

“Kurosawa?”

Adachi can see Kurosawa’s shoulders relax at his touch. Maybe he just needed Adachi to reach out to him first this time.

“The meeting went bad.” Kurosawa starts, needing no further questions from him. 

“My numbers were wrong and I just made a fool out of myself.” Apprehension is so palpable in Kurosawa's voice.

Adachi pulls him into a tight embrace, his hand running up and down Kurosawa’s back to soothe him. He feels Kurosawa’s breath shake against his neck.

“I don’t know what happened. I worked hard for it, but somehow it’s all wrong. If you could just see their faces-” Kurosawa stops and takes a deep breath.

“Have you talked about this with the Chief?” Adachi asks him. 

“Yeah. He said that he’d look into it. But I-” His embrace tightens around Adachi. 

“Midori’s one of our biggest clients. I-” he lets out another deep breath. “I could get fired if they pull out their contract.”

Oh. This is huge.

“Adachi,” Kurosawa shifts.

“I’m scared.” 

“I know.” Adachi almost flinches with his answer. He wished to have been better with words. Unlike Kurosawa, they just don’t come to him as quickly, who seems to know the right things to say in almost every situation. No matter how hard he tries, right now, nothing comes to his mind. 

Instead, he tightens his embrace, hoping it would soothe some of Kurosawa’s worries away. It hurts Adachi to see him like this- vulnerable and scared. Tomorrow, he will face his fears, will smile as he always does, will laugh if he has to. But right now, Kurosawa dons none of his masks, worried and unguarded, wrapped in Adachi’s embrace. 

And that Adachi will give to him as much as he can, as long as Kurosawa needs it. 

🍒🍒🍒

It is half-past one, and Adachi is wide awake. He thought of going outside the bedroom in hopes of finding something to occupy himself. He ultimately decided against it so as not to risk waking up Kurosawa. It took them long enough to go to the bedroom and even longer than that for Kurosawa to fall asleep finally.

He turns around to face Kurosawa. The moonlight shines on his face giving him a soft and tender glow. It was the kind of look that inspires poems. Adachi sometimes thinks that it is unfair.

Adachi tucks a strand of hair behind Kurosawa’s ears. 

He would be lying if he told himself that he wasn’t scared, not for him, but Kurosawa. It is a feeling he knows too well, the unknown waiting for you. He can’t help but be disappointed with himself. 

He could have done better at consoling him.

He runs his hands along Kurosawa’s arm. “I’m sorry, I didn’t do much today,” Adachi whispers.

_I need to be better than this._

_“He needs to get his shit together!”_ Miki’s voice rang loud in Adachi’s head, surprising him a little bit.

Despite his somewhat minimal dating experience, Adachi would like to think that he is doing a pretty good job. Kurosawa is happy, and so is he (very much so). There was no reason to doubt that. There had been a few hiccups along the road, but overall, it was bliss. 

Nevertheless, Adachi can’t help but feel that he was not doing enough. Especially in times like this when Kurosawa needed him the most. 

_“She can’t be the only one doing all the work.”_

Miki was right. Kurosawa (given their dynamic, it was safe to assume that he is she in their relationship) cannot be the only one doing all the work.

Adachi can surprise Kurosawa, too, in his way. It may not be much, but he can do it. He has to do it. But where should he start?

_“He gave me flowers. He gave me a huge bouquet.”_

Flowers. Flowers are always a good start. 

_He imagines Kurosawa’s surprised face as he turns around. He drops his bag as he receives the flowers. They’re red, big, and full of life. Kurosawa smells them, and Adachi leans into ki-_

He is daydreaming right before he sleeps. 

Also, a huge bouquet seems a little bit…

Well, the good thing is, he does not need to think of the details right now. Planting the seed of his plan is good enough at the moment. 

He thanks his co-workers silently before he falls into slumber. 

🍒🍒🍒

“Are you ready?” Adachi asks Kurosawa as they enter the elevator going to their office.

“Yeah,” Kurosawa answers softly, his eyes full of warmth. 

Had Adachi not known Kurosawa any better, he would’ve missed the quiet determination that sits underneath his calm demeanor. No one would have suspected of the turmoil he had been through (still going through) last night. 

It’s one of the many things that Adachi admires about him - his resolve to face his fears.

Adachi squeezes Kurosawa’s hand covertly before they exit the elevator.

🍒🍒🍒

A dozen roses will cost him roughly around 9000 yen—nothing fancy, just the flowers wrapped in kraft wrapping paper with a neat little bow. A few more hundred yens will give him a bouquet of red roses interspersed with Baby’s breath, wrapped in translucent pastel blue and white papers pulled together by an intricate bow.

He likes it. He likes it a lot.

Even better, the flower shop is just a ten-minute walk from his apartment. 

A sudden feeling of exhilaration rushes through him. He bits his lips to stop himself from smiling as his excitement continues to grow the more he thinks of his plan.

Although, there is a bit of a problem.

“What are you looking at?” Kurosawa appears beside him, bends down to meet Adachi’s eyes, wearing his a thousand-watt smile. 

Adachi yelps and quickly puts his phone upside down on the table, narrowly missing the untouched store-bought bento box in front of him.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I scare you?” Kurosawa takes the seat in front of him and begins to set up their lunches. 

“What are you looking at?” he asks, his expression a mix of curiosity and playfulness. He hands a pair of chopsticks to Adachi.

“Oh, Thank you.” 

“Itadakimasu”  
“Itadakimasu”

“It was nothing. Just...random stuff,” Adachi answers him before stuffing down a karaage. 

Kurosawa hums as he takes a bite from his own suspiciously. 

Here is the problem, Adachi thinks. He is not good at keeping secrets. Even more so, keeping secrets from Kurosawa.

He looks outside the window, purposely avoiding Kurosawa’s curious looks. 

“Ah! There’s a bird!” Adachi points to where he is looking for more believability.

Kurosawa follows the direction of his fingers. “Where?” he asks, craning his head to get a better look of...well, whatever it is.

“Oh. It’s gone,” says Adachi, lowering his hands slowly and barely stops himself from laughing. Just barely.

“Adachi! You’re making fun of me!” Adachi’s eyes meet with Kurosawa’s, at which point they both laugh.

It takes them several minutes to settle down.

“Have you talked with the chief?” asks Adachi, his tone more serious and laced with concern.

Kurosawa nods slowly. “Yeah.”

Adachi looks around and makes sure that no one is near their vicinity. This is not the kind of information that other people should know. But he cannot wait until they get home to ask for details.

Kurosawa adjusts his seat and leans forward to be closer. 

“The chief said that they are still looking into it. But, by the looks of it, I’m not the one who’s at fault here.” Kurosawa takes a bite of rice.

“That sounds good. Right?”

“I don’t know, to be honest.” Kurosawa leans back and drinks from his water bottle. He looks solemn, devoid of the worries one might usually have in his situation. Had this happened to Adachi, he might have spiraled by now. 

But this is Kurosawa.

Adachi pauses for a moment, unsure of what to say. He settles with, “I’m sure everything will be fine.” and gives Kurosawa a smile for reassurance.

“I know,” Kurosawa answers with utmost sincerity, 

“Oh, by the way, I will be out of town for two days next week for a business trip.”

Perfect. This is his chance.

“What days?” Adachi asks, not looking up from his food.

“Uhmm, let’s see. Thursday and Friday. I’ll come back Saturday morning.”

Even better.

_Adachi would pick him up at the station. No. Scratch that. A man holding a bouquet would attract attention. Even more, when the recipient of said flowers is another man, albeit a gorgeous one._

_In Kurosawa’s apartment, he would wait at Kurosawa’s apartment. He would give some lame excuse (“Ahh, it’s traffic” or “The old lady downstairs asked for my help. I couldn’t say no”)._

_He would wait at Kurosawa’s apartment. Kurosawa, bless his heart, would understand and would come home expecting. Then, he would open the door, and he would see Adachi standing in front of him, holding red roses. Kurosawa would be shocked and would be unable to say anything._

_“Welcome home,” Adachi would say. He would step forward, roses on hand and would lean in, and ki-_

“Adachi?” Kurosawa’s hand is extended in front of him as though asking Adachi to give him something. They are by the door of the cafeteria, standing in front of trash bins. 

“Huh? Right. Sorry. Here.” he gives him his trash.

“You seem… Are you ok?” Kurosawa asks him. 

_Oh crap. Am I that obvious?  
_ The realization hits him that he is becoming Kurosawa (not that there's anything wrong with that).

“Yeah, it’s just…” Adachi pauses, his mind rallying for words. He rubs the back of his neck while his eyes dart off the walls as if the words he is looking for would be there.  
Kurosawa’s knitted eyebrows and apparent growing concern does not help either.

“It’s just… I just couldn’t sleep last night, is all.” he finishes his sentence with a trailing laugh.

“Oh,” Kurosawa’s voice is icy, not that Adachi noticed.

“Let’s go. It’s almost time.” Adachi smoothes out the fabric of his pants and heads towards the hallway.

“Kurosawa, about the-” Adachi turns beside him, expecting Kurosawa to be right next to him, instead of being a couple of steps behind.

“Kurosawa? What happened?” He walks back to meet him.

“Was it because of me that you couldn’t sleep last night?” 

Oh crap! He had not thought of the implication of his answer.

“If so, I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t - I didn’t mean to-” Kurosawa looks down and fidgets with the water bottle he is holding.

“NO!” Adachi interjects, his voice is a little bit louder than he intended. Thankfully, no one is around.

“No, no, no,” softer, this time. “Never. Don’t...don’t think that.” Adachi takes a deep breath, regretting his white lie.

“No, you know me. I don’t sleep well sometimes.” Adachi places his hand at Kurosawa’s back for extra reassurance. 

“Really? Are you sure? Cos-” he slides his hand under Kurosawa’s elbow and squeezes it lightly. “Let’s go. It’s almost time.”  
“Okay.” Seemingly relieved, Kurosawa let Adachi lead their way towards the elevator.

He needs to get this right.  
He has to.  


🍒🍒🍒

Adachi is a creature of routine. On weekends, when he does not have work, he wakes up early to jog, cleans his house, and goes to Kurosawa. Or Kurosawa goes to his place. They sometimes go out. Sometimes, they just chill around.

Just like every Saturday, Adachi wakes up early, does his morning jog, and cleans his apartment. 

, Unlike his usual Saturday, Kurosawa is not in town, and he has a little surprise to hatch.

Adachi stands at the side of his bed, the contents of his closet spread out in front of him. 

He needs something that is not too formal but not too casual. Looking at his choices, however, his options are somewhat limited.

Not wanting to spend more time with clothes-related decisions, he opts for a simple white shirt under a yellow and black plaid long sleeves and skinny black jeans. He sprays a little bit of perfume on himself, as well.

He heads to his next stop, the flower shop, his head in cloud nine.

Adachi does not have many expectations on his first visit to a flower shop. What he had not expected, however, not even in his wildest dreams, is to be greeted by a group of firemen pushing him, along with the growing crowd, away from the burning store - the flower shop.

He sees a flame bursts from the window on the second floor. The shop’s signage fell, breaking in half on its way down.

Adachi cannot believe his luck - or lack thereof.  
“No...no...no,” he mutters to himself. 

He pushes himself in front of the crowd to get a better view of what is happening, stopping just behind the yellow tape. From his vantage point, he can see the flowers displayed outside, the fire slowly engulfing them - red roses included. He watches them face their demise as though mocking his pain in the process. 

“Sir, I need you to go back a little bit further.” A man in a blue jumpsuit with yellow-green reflective stripes appears in front of him. He catches a glimpse of himself on his silver reflective helmet. 

His hair is in disarray, and he looks utterly in distress.

“What happened?” He asks the firefighter.

“There is a fire.” The firefighter deadpans and walks towards the other side of the crowd. “Move! Everyone, move!” he shouts.

He removes himself from the crowd and walks towards a relatively empty spot of the street. He watches the tail of the black smoke grow as it stretches towards the sky.

He ruffles his hair in annoyance. “Aahhgh!”

He would have to take a bus to the nearest flower shop. He would need at least 30 to 40 minutes to do everything repeatedly - find a store, get the flowers, and go to Kurosawa’s place.

He feels his phone vibrate.

_**I’ll be home in ten minutes 😊😊. Your place or mine?** _

Great.

_**Yours. I’ll be late, though. The flower shop near my house caught fire. I had to walk the other way.** _

If there is a silver lining in this, he does not have to lie, and he would meet with Kurosawa.

_**Are you okay? Isn’t the flower shop away from your usual route?** _

Oh.

_**I had to help the old lady downstairs buy something at one of the shops around the area.** _

If there is a silver lining in this, he will meet Kurosawa.

_**Okay! See you in a bit. 😘** _

_**See you! 😊** _

He wipes the sweat forming above his upper lip with the sleeves of his shirt. He smells of smoke and sweat and nothing like the man he once was 30 minutes ago - fresh and full of excitement.

Maybe he can spare a few more minutes to change into something else. He checks his phone for the next bus.

Eight minutes, it says.

Maye not. He runs as fast as he can.  


🍒🍒🍒

Adachi now dons a plain white sweater and sweatpants a bit longer than his size. In between Kurosawa’s legs, he sits on the floor as Kurosawa dries his hair with a towel.

When he opened the door for Adachi, the surprised look from the other man was all it took for him to understand that he needed a shower.

He takes a bite of pear (that Kurosawa brought, cut, and served), his other arm wrapped around Kurosawa’s leg, his cheek pressed against his thigh.

He is tired - drained. So much had happened this morning, and he couldn’t even share them out of embarrassment.  
Kurosawa would not mind, of course. He would find it sweet, even, albeit a little bit funny.

But still, a better part of him just feels deflated.

Adachi sighs deeply and hugs Kurosawa’s legs tighter, surprising Kurosawa a little bit.

“Adachi?” he snortles, “Eh, you missed me that much?”

Adachi simply grunts.

“Are you sleepy? Do you wanna sleep in the bedroom?” 

Adachi shakes his head. “It’s not even twelve.” his voice barely audible.

“Are you hungry, then? I can fix something quick.”

The growl of Adachi’s stomach answers the question.

“Alright!” Kurosawa pats Adachi’s cheek as he releases Kurosawa’s leg. Adachi watches his boyfriend make his way to the kitchen, feeling disappointed in himself.

“What do you want?” Kurosawa asks as he scans his cupboard.

“Spam and Rice”

“Ok!”

It should be him preparing lunch and not Kurosawa. It should be him drying Kurosawa’s hair after a long bath which he prepared and not the other way around. Kurosawa should have been surprised when he opened the door, but not because of a sweaty Adachi smelling of disappointment. 

He turns the television on to occupy himself for the time being.

A few minutes later, Kurosawa joins him with two plates of fried rice on both hands. 

They eat in silence, their attention glued to the TV, more so Kurosawa than Adachi. The station is playing an old episode of Doraemon. Kurosawa had not told him about this yet (not that he has to, at this point), but he loves the blue robot cat. 

Adachi watches Kurosawa, his eyes glued intensely on the TV. Mouth slightly open, he lets a snort then takes a mouthful of rice. They have watched this episode a couple of dozen times already (and Adachi would hazard a guess that Kurosawa had seen this a couple more times). Yet, Kurosawa wears a child-like wonder in his expression as though he is watching it for the first time. It makes Adachi’s chest tighten a little bit because he knows, without a doubt, that this is the side of Kurosawa that only he can see, that only he Kurosawa permits to see.

 _He’s cute_. Adachi thinks. _He’s so cute, and I like him a lot._

 _Oh, crap, I’m turning into Kurosawa again_. Adachi smiles and helps himself with his meal.

His cheeks puffed, Kurosawa tries to suppress his laughter resulting in a coughing fit. Adachi does not know if he’s coughing or laughing. Or both.

“I’ll grab some water,” Adachi announces and disappears into the kitchen.

He comes back with Kurosawa’s face beet red, his fist pounding his chest.

“Here, here” Adachi takes the glass to Kurosawa's lips, his hands running up and down Kurosawa’s back to soothe him.

“Are you okay?” Adachi cannot help but laugh about the ridiculousness of it all.  
“Yeah, yeah, thanks!” Kurosawa continues to laugh, but thankfully the program goes in an ad break.

“You’ve seen this episode before, Kurosawa!” Adachi’s hands continue to run up and down Kurosawa’s back.

Kurosawa takes a big gulp. “I know! But it still gets me!” His breathing is a lot calmer now.

“Feeling better?”

“Yes, thank you!”

Adachi goes back to his seat and resumes his eating, his one arm resting on Kurosawa’s thigh.

Adachi, too, is feeling a lot better now. His circumstances this morning are starting to seem like they happened a long time ago. 

“Good morning to all. The weather has been good this morning! Expect sunny days are coming ahead!” the weatherman reports.

“It’s getting warmer these days, isn’t it?. Summer is fast approaching.” Kurosawa comments.

Adachi hums in agreement. “Time flies by quickly.” He takes his last spoonful of rice then stacks their plates together.

“So, if you’re planning to go out with your loved ones, like in a picnic, for example, now is a good time!” A clip of a family having a picnic in the park plays. The dad is helping out the mom set up their spread while their children run around playfully.

The weatherman is wise, Adachi, thinks.

His surprise plan does not have to end like that. He just needs to tweak some details. Like, having it outside instead of inside Kurosawa’s apartment and having food instead of flowers.

_They would sit on the grass, covered with the blanket that Adachi bought specially for this. Although the sun is high in the sky, they found a spot under a big tree providing them shade. He would bring out the sandwiches - that he made - and carefully lay them out in front of them. He would make Kurosawa take the first bite, with Adachi feeding him, of course. Kurosawa would find his sandwiches delicious, as he always does. They would spend their afternoon in peaceful bliss, bodies pressed against each other. He would look at Kurosawa, and Kurosawa would have some sauce at the corner of his mouth. He would remove it with his thumb, and his touch would linger. He would look at Kurosawa’s lips and then to his eyes. Then, he would lean in and ki-_

Kurosawa bursts out laughing, his hand clutching his stomach. 

Ah, Doraemon is back.

“Kurosawa?”

“Hmm?” Kurosawa leans into Adachi, his eyes still on TV.

“Are you busy next weekend?”

🍒🍒🍒

Adachi does not cook that much. Give him mayo onigiri every day (well, almost every day. Some variety would be nice.), and he would consider himself a happy man. Kurosawa, of course, has that department taken care of for him and more. 

He is standing in the middle of his room, marveling at his creations - a full-course meal good for two, three kinds of sandwiches he made from scratch (two of each), and some freshly cut fruits. 

His chest swells with pride, and deservedly so. It took him fifteen minutes shy of three hours to prepare for tomorrow morning.  
He takes a picture of his table and stops himself halfway through from sending it to Kurosawa. 

“Oh crap! I got so excited I wanna share it with him.”  
He carefully puts everything in his fridge, instead.  
With everything ready for tomorrow, he heads for his bed, but not after closing his window.

 _It’s unusually chilly tonight, huh?_ Adachi thinks. He shrugs and pays it no mind. 

Nothing can dampen his spirits. He goes to sleep with a smile on his face. 

🍒🍒🍒

The weatherman is not wise.  
The weatherman is not wise.

Adachi stands behind his window, watching the rain dampen his spirits. Dampen is too weak of a word to describe his feelings. The rain came and washed his hopes into the gutter along with the other gunks the city has. 

“Unexpected rain,” the weatherman says. “Will last throughout the weekend,” the weatherman adds.

This is bad, and the weatherman should feel bad. He just wished that by the time his wasted hopes reached the ocean, the rain had stopped. But given his recent luck, he doubts it.

He plops on the bed and hides under the duvet. With his frustration threatening to spill, he grabs his pillow and screams against it as loudly as he can. 

He wants to cry. He really really wants to cry. He sends Kurosawa a sticker of a crying bear, instead.

Not a minute later, Kurosawa video calls him.

“Adachi, are you okay?” Adachi can only see Kurosawa’s face from the bridge of his nose upwards. And based on the bobbing of his head, he seems to be walking. 

He stops by the window and angles his camera for his entire face to show on the video. His hair parts at the side, and he seemed just recently stepped out of the shower.

Adachi had not even gotten out of his pajamas. He peeks through his pillow, with only half of his face visible, most of which is obstructed by his unruly hair. 

“Kurosawa,” his voice barely louder than a mumble.

“Rise and shine!” Kurosawa’s voice is a bit livelier than Adachi anticipated. “Wait, no, it’s raining. My bad!” 

Adachi groans and buries his face on the pillow.

“Eh? Somebody woke up at the wrong side of the bed today.” Kurosawa smiles.

He’s so blinding. Adachi groans again.

“Eh? You are grumpy this morning, Adachi!” says Kurosawa, clearly amused. He looks outside his window. “It’s the rain, isn’t it? It came pretty unexpectedly.”

That, and the botched surprise picnic plan he had meticulously prepared, evidence of which is in the fridge that would probably last him until next week.

(Maybe, he could bring some of them at work to share with Kurosawa.)

“Kurosawa,” Adachi sits up, his back against the wall. He looks at himself on the phone and sees his hair sticking in different directions.

“Hmmm?”

Though his frustrations have gone down, a good part of him wants to share with Kurosawa the reason for his grumpiness. And, understandably so. It is more of an impulse these days, he finds. He shares almost everything with Kurosawa, who is an eager listener. It is liberating not to have to experience the world alone like he used to. 

His embarrassment does make him not share things right away, however. 

Adachi sighs. “At least one of us is in a good mood today. What has got you smiling early this rainy morning?”

Kurosawa considers him for a moment, excitement is written all over his features. 

“Ok. I was planning on telling you this later, but, Uhm, I guess now is a good time.”

“Ok,” Adachi straightens his back, his interest piqued.

“Remember, what happened with my meeting with Midori Stationery?

Adachi nods. How could he forget about it? It was what started his shenanigans, after all.

“Well, I received an e-mail from the chief last night. Somehow Midori’s messed up with their numbers and gave me the wrong info. I don’t know how exactly, but the bottom line is, it’s not my fault.”

“That’s great!” Adachi’s excitement had him kneeling on his bed. 

“I knew that it’s not your fault!”

“Did you?”

Adachi nods. “How could it be? You worked on it for days! And you even practiced your presentation with me. Several times”

Kurosawa laughs. “I remember that! You were so patient with me that day. Thank you very much,” he says, bowing as he thanked Adachi.

“I’m happy, though.” The image of Kurosawa distressed on his arms flashes on his mind. He would trade the world anything for Kurosawa to not go through that again.

“Well, having a good boyfriend helps a lot.” 

Adachi falls silent for a moment, taken aback by Kurosawa’s statement and his voice’s sincerity. Thankfully, his underlit room did not betray the redness of cheeks.

“Ehhh!! Kurosawa, you’re mushy this morning!” says Adachi because he is, and Adachi does not know what to say.

“I’m just telling the truth, Adachi.” Adachi looks at Kurosawa, his eyes narrowing. Kurosawa looks back at Adachi with utmost sincerity. Although, the corners of his mouth going up betrays his struggle not to smile.

Kurosawa bursts into laughter, eventually.

“Kurosawa!” 

“My bad, my bad!” Kurosawa continues to laugh, and Adachi cannot help but laugh with him.

“You’re always making fun of me, Kurosawa!” Adachi pouts.  
“Am not! I mean everything I say.” Kurosawa tries to be serious, though failing miserably with a wide grin on his face. 

Nobody says anything afterward, that is until Adachi hears a stomach growl from the other end of his screen.

Adachi snorts, then asks, “Have you eaten your breakfast yet?”

“No, I was waiting for you.”

“Yuichi, I’m not there with you. You can eat when you’re hungry.”

“Yes, Kiyoshi dear, I know. but I wanna have breakfast with you.”

Adachi mocks a sigh and shakes his head. “Kurosawa, what are you gonna do without me?” He stands up, heading for his fridge. The shaking of Kurosawa’s video suggests that he is doing the same. 

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And please call me by my name”

Adachi opens his fridge, packed lunches, and sandwiches, greeting him. They could have been at the park right now, eating those. They could have been sitting under the tree in peaceful bliss. He could have been feeding Kurosawa to his heart’s content because he deserves it. He deserves all the good things in the world.

“Adachi, you found something to eat?” 

Adachi sighs and grabs one of the sandwiches he made. “Yeah,” he says and shows it to Kurosawa.

He sits by his little table just outside the kitchen, grabbing a book on his way for his phone to prop against.

“What are you eating?” he asks Kurosawa. Kurosawa lifts a red bowl and shows its content to Adachi. “Just cereal.”

Adachi unwraps his sandwich and takes a bite.”

“Adachi, that looks good. Where did you get it from?” asks Kurosawa.

Adachi fixes his gaze at a spot on the table. He keeps on chewing and waits until his mouth is not full. He could say he got it from a convenience store last night, as he usually does. Or he could tell him the truth.

Adachi does not know what prompted him to choose the latter.

“I made it,” he answers without looking up.

“Eh?” Kurosawa’s spoon is suspended mid-air, inches away from his mouth.

“I made it,” Adachi repeats as he steals a glance at Kurosawa. He takes another bite.

Kurosawa must have dropped his spoon as Adachi hears it make a loud clunk as it hits the ceramic bowl.

“Aaah!” Kurosawa exclaims as he buries his face behind his hands. “This is unfair! I should have been there with you!”

It is, indeed, unfair and unfortunate, Adachi thinks. 

“Did you make it? For real?”

“Yes!” Adachi understands Kurosawa’s surprise. The times he cooks are so few and far between. “Do you not believe it?”

“I do! It’s just…” Kurosawa sighs, “Why does it have to rain?”

Adachi would like to know as well, perhaps, more than anybody else right now. Rubbing salt to their wounds, Adachi looks outside as he hears the low rumbling warning of thunder. His room lights up momentarily as lightning forks the sky.

He thinks the universe conspires against him.

“Kurosawa, open your mouth.” 

“Huh?”

“Say Ahhhhhh…” Adachi slowly brings his food towards the camera.

“What are you doing, Adachi?” Kurosawa asks in between laughs.

“C’mon, just say ahhhhh…” Adachi singsongs very much aware of the silliness of his request.

Nevertheless, Kurosawa obeys, his face coming closer to the camera mouth wide open. Adachi sees him quickly take a spoonful of cereal before purposefully making an audible biting sound.

“Is it delicious?” Adachi asks, taking another bite from his sandwich.

Kurosawa gulps down the contents of his mouth. “Yes, very much so.”

“You’re very welcome.” 

Someday, he will do the real thing. Someday, Adachi will feed Kurosawa himself. But today, this will do, and Adachi, surprisingly, is just as happy.

“Adachi, say ahhhhh…”

“No.”

🍒🍒🍒

On weekends, Kurosawa likes to sleep in. He considers it a little treat for himself. He works hard for long hours during the week, barely having enough time for himself - and Adachi. So, on weekends, Kurosawa sleeps in because he deserves it. And for all it’s worth, it gives him more time to snuggle up with Adachi in the morning, which is a reward in and of itself.

Never has a day been ruined for Kurosawa when he starts it with Adachi right next to him.

Could this be the first time?

Kurosawa already knew that something is amiss when he turned around and was met with nothing instead of Adachi’s warmth.

That, or the sound of the smoke alarm blaring through his apartment early in the morning.

Kurosawa bolts to the kitchen, his every being wide awake, wondering where Adachi is and if he is safe.

“Adachi!”

He finds Adachi standing in front of the stoves, both hands up in the air, one of which holds a spatula.

He is frozen, his eyes wide as saucers.

Kurosawa, not knowing what happened, approaches Adachi carefully. Thankfully, the annoying sound of the smoke alarm had stopped.

“Adachi, are you ok?” Kurosawa removes the spatula from Adachi’s hands. 

Adachi takes a deep breath and rubs his hands over his face. “Yeah,” he answers, his voice quiet.

Kurosawa surveys the surroundings. A used chopping board and a knife are discarded in the sink. Three separate bowls sit on the counter: one for beaten eggs, one for sliced-up mushrooms, and another for diced tomatoes. A wisp of smoke hovers above the frying pan. 

He is trying to cook. Adachi is trying to cook. Any other day, Kurosawa might explode with happiness, but the disappointment - and anger - that Adachi emanates stops him. He steps closer to Adachi and runs his hands along Adachi’s arms to soothe him.

“Are you ok?” he asks once more.

“I- yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Just- just give me one second.” Adachi removes himself from Kurosawa and disappears into the balcony.

He has not seen Adachi so worked up in a while, so he gives him a few minutes of solitude before he joins him outside.

🍒🍒🍒

The skies are clear, and the cool breeze touches the warmth of Kurosawa’s cheeks. It’s nice, Kurosawa thinks. He takes a deep breath to feel the sunny morning. 

“The sun feels nice, isn’t it?” says Kurosawa. With Adachi’s back facing him, Kurosawa cannot see Adachi’s face. Adachi did not stir and had not moved one bit even after Kurosawa joined him.

It’s okay. Kurosawa will give him time. They can stand here, in the balcony, in silence for as long as Adachi needs.

And that, they did.

It was a good fifteen minutes or so when Adachi started to speak up.

“I-” he takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry.” Kurosawa inches closer to Adachi and places his hand on his back.

“It’s okay. I don’t mind.” Kurosawa reassures him. “How are you feeling?”

“I just-” Adachi starts softly and takes a deep breath once again. One of the many things he learned about Adachi is that the higher his emotions run, the more he stammers. He rubs Adachi’s back to help him calm down.

“Hmmm?”

“I just- It’s just, um.” Adachi’s grip on the railings tightens while his eyes remain downcast. Kurosawa could see how difficult it is for Adachi to go through this right now.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me right away.”

“No!” Adachi starts once again. “It’s just, Uhm, I wanna do something for you.”

Surprised, Kurosawa stops the motions of his hand on Adachi’s back. 

“For me?” asks Kurosawa.

“Yes,” Adachi briefly meets Kurosawa’s eyes. “I wanted to surprise you. I’ve been trying to, at least. For weeks now. But,” he flails his hands, “nothing seems to work out!”  
It makes sense. They all make sense.

It has not escaped Kurosawa's attention the strange way Adachi sometimes acted in the past few weeks, the way he would zone out in the middle of conversations, sometimes seemingly struggling to hide his smile. Or how he becomes perkier than usual as the weekend approaches. Or how he would ask Kurosawa multiple times about his weekend plans (even though it’s almost always the same: with him).

He remembers the day he showed up late in his apartment sweaty and smelling of smoke. He remembers the day he called him early that rainy morning all grumpy and annoyed: He most likely made that sandwich for both of them to enjoy. Like puzzle pieces falling into the right places, they all make sense.

Kurosawa moves closer to Adachi and presses his body against Adachi’s back. He holds Adachi by his arms, pulling Adachi closer to a half-embrace.

“It’s okay,” says Kurosawa softly, almost a whisper. “You don’t have to. But the-”

“I want to, Kurosawa!” Adachi snaps. Kurosawa, surprised, takes a couple of steps back.

Adachi turns around to face him, although his eyes remain downcast.

“I want to,” Adachi repeats, his voice almost breaking. Kurosawa lowers his head down a bit, wanting to meet Adachi's eyes. 

“I want to. I really want to. You’ve done so much for me, Kurosawa, and I want to do something for you. I’ve done nothing, and everything I planned so far had been a bust. And this morning I was supposed to cook you breakfast, but I guess I set the fire too high and then the alarm went off and then you were there and now I’m here, and you’re here… It’s just- I’ve done nothing, and I’ve got nothing, and it’s so embarrassing.” Adachi rambles, his voice tapering off by the end.

Adachi’s self-esteem issues are not new to him. Nevertheless, he thinks it has been better since they have gotten together. Adachi has been open to having new experiences and has been bolder to take on new challenges, albeit slowly, one step at a time. And Kurosawa could not have been any prouder for Adachi. 

However, Kurosawa also understands well enough that Adachi’s insecurities will not go away quickly. They will resurface from time to time, like right now. And it pains him, it absolutely pains him, that Adachi thinks he has not done anything for their relationship. Kurosawa, more than anyone, knows that that could not have been further than the truth.

“Adachi,” Kurosawa’s voice is firm. “That’s not true. That’s absolutely not true.”

“I know, but I just can’t-” Adachi presses the ball of his palms against his eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s just- I don’t-”

Kurosawa takes a moment to consider his following actions. Pressing the matter further would do them both no good. And judging Adachi’s stammers, saying more is fanning the flames.

Kurosawa removes his hands off of Adachi and leans into the railings. He finds himself needing to take a deep breath. He stays silent for a while.

“Adachi,” Kurosawa calls him. “I’m hungry.”

Adachi, seemingly perplexed by the question, looks at him for the first time this morning. “What?” he asks.

“I’m hungry.” Kurosawa turns to Adachi smiling. “There’s a new cafe that opened just five minutes from here. I heard their crepes are good. So…”

Adachi seems to understand the implication almost instantly as his worried eyes shifts towards curiosity. He hesitates for a moment. “Oh! Uhm...ok. Uhm…do you...wanna go?” he asks.

Kurosawa nods.

“Ok, I’ll wait for you while you change.”  
“Ok! I’ll be quick!” Kurosawa goes back inside.

🍒🍒🍒

Kurosawa must have miscalculated the distance. They have been walking for at least 10 minutes, and their destination is nowhere near to be seen. They walk side by side, their shoulders brushing, hands in their pocket. From his periphery, he could see Adachi stealing a glance at him. He hazards a guess. Adachi wants to ask about the whereabouts of this restaurant.

They stop and wait for the pedestrian light to go green. Crowds start to gather around them: parents with their kids, young couples, older people, and anyone in between. All of them are outside to enjoy the lovely Sunday morning.

The light turns green, and they cross the street. Halfway, Kurosawa feels Adachi nudging him.

“Is that the place you’re talking about?” Adachi points ahead.

“Ah, yes, indeed.” Kurosawa flashes Adachi his widest grin. 

“Kurosawa, you’re silly,” Adachi says while smiling. The first smile he has had this morning.

The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee greets them as they enter the cafe. The decor is kept at a bare minimum: white scribbles on the black painted wall, planks of wood attached to the wall so that it resembles stairs with potted succulents sitting on each step. 

They must have missed the early morning rush as there are only three people in front of them in the line. Kurosawa touches the nearby table. It is glass, circular, and tall enough to stand just below his waist. He thinks it would be a good addition in his apartment, right next to the tv, perhaps.

“What do you want to eat?” Adachi asks him.

“Hmm?”  
“The crepes are good, right? Do you want the strawberry crepe or the banana one?” 

The truth is, Kurosawa does not know much about the shop, much less about their crepes. He just happened to walk by it earlier this week, and he was kind enough to take the menu one of the workers was giving out. He took one glance at the paper before shoving it in his bag. He has not seen nor remembered it until this morning.

“Let me see.” He looks at the tv screen displaying the menu above them. Honestly, either one of them is fine. He opts for the second option, anyway. “I want to try the banana.”

“What do you want for drinks, then?”

“Anything. It’s up to you.”

“Ok,” Kurosawa looks at Adachi. He seems to be a lot calmer now.

“Next customer, please!”

Adachi moves forward, Kurosawa following him from behind.

“Good Morning! What can I get for you today?”

“Good Morning. Can we get one banana crepe, one strawberry crepe, two matcha green tea?” Adachi looks at Kurosawa with his eyebrow raised, as though silently asking him if the drink he chose is okay with him.

Kurosawa nods.

“Iced or hot?”  
“Iced.”  
“What size would your tea, please?

Adachi hesitates. Kurosawa leans in and says, “Large.”

“Large” Adachi parrots.

“Anything else?” the cashier asks him.  
Kurosawa begins to reach for his wallet at the back of his pants. To his surprise, Adachi orders more.

“Can we also get one order of chicken and waffles and one bacon and egg sandwich?”

“Ok. Would that be all?

“Yes.”

“Your total is 3,185.55 yen. Would you like to try our vanilla fudge for an additional 600 yen?”

“No, thank you. It’s going to melt outside” Adachi hands the cashier a 5000 yen note. 

“We’re eating outside?” Kurosawa asks Adachi. 

“Yeah, I know a park nearby.”

🍒🍒🍒

They each carry a bag and their own drinks. By the time they get their food, the sun is already high. Kurosawa has to squint as the sunlight hits his face on their way out. 

He feels a bead of sweat trickle down his neck as they are walking. He tries to cover his face with the hand holding his drink, wishing he had the foresight to bring a cap. Adachi, too, seems to feel the heat. His eyes are squinting as the sunlight hits his face and his drink is almost halfway done. 

He can see the entrance of the park. Two to three minutes more of walking and they can finally sit down and eat breakfast.

“Kurosawa” Adachi grabs his elbow, the heat from their food touching his skin as the bag Adachi is carrying hits his thigh. “Let’s go inside here quickly.”

Adachi steers them both inside the nondescript clothing store.

The coolness in the store is a nice reprieve from the heat outside. Although, he has no clue precisely as to why Adachi brings them here. As far as he knows, they are eating breakfast (brunch is more apt given the time) at the park.

A pretty young woman, with her hair parted to the side, greets them.

“Welcome.”

“Do you have caps?” Adachi inquires. Kurosawa can feel the heat on his face starting to subdue.

“Yes, it’s over there.” the young lady points to the corner of the shop. “Come with me, please.”

They follow her to the corner where rows of caps are hanging in the wall.

Adachi thanks the lady, who then leaves them alone.

“Go pick one,” Adachi tells Kurosawa. “I think the blue one would suit you.”

“Adachi, you don’t have to. We’re almost at the park. It’s fine. I can manage.”

“I insist, please. Plus, your face is so red.” Adachi lets out a little laugh.

He has not seen himself yet, but he would not be surprised if he looks like a tomato. Kurosawa did not move. “I’m fine. I don’t mind.” 

“Ok,” Adachi forced onto Kurosawa the plastic bag he’s holding. He grabs the blue cap and puts it on Kurosawa’s head. 

“C’mon. Look at it.” Adachi guides Kurosawa towards the protruding wall where the mirror is attached.

The blue looks good on him, and, oh my god, he is red.  
“I like it.”

“What about this one?” he replaces the blue cap with a black one with a yellow checkmark at its side.

Kurosawa contemplates for a second. “I like the blue one better.”

“Ok.” Adachi returns the black cap to its place and puts the blue cap on Kurosawa.

“Choose one for me,” Adachi tells Kurosawa. 

Kurosawa steps beside Adachi and carefully surveys all of his options. Then he sees one that grabs his attention almost immediately. He couldn’t point the item with both of his hands occupied.

“That one below the green with the unicorn,” Kurosawa instructs.

Adachi starts giggling as soon as he finds it. “Are you sure?” he asks Kurosawa, trying his best to laugh discreetly.

“Yes.” Kurosawa is starting to laugh as well. Adachi bends down to grab the item and moves to stand in front of the mirror. He puts the cap on - it’s a glittery silver hat with a picture of a unicorn at the front and colorful unicorn wings attached at its side. Its color changes to pink and purple when exposed to light. 

Adachi’s laughs are getting louder. He cranes his neck to see if there are other people in the shop. Kurosawa does the same. Thankfully, there are none - or at least none that he can see. 

“Take a picture!” Kurosawa tells Adachi.

“No!” Adachi covers his mouth, trying to suppress his laugh.

“Take my drink.” He gives it to Adachi and fishes his phone out of his back pocket. There is no way he would let this moment be undocumented. 

Adachi stands straight, holding two large cups in front of him, his face serious.

“Ok, one, two, three” Kurosawa presses the shutter button. Adachi, not being able to hold it any longer, laughs, bending over, almost knocking down the rotating sunglass display rack behind him. Their laughters halt abruptly.

“Are you okay?” Kurosawa asks, his voice just above a whisper to not call attention from anyone, especially the shop attendant.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Adachi reassures him, his tone quiet as well. He turns around to survey the rack where several sunglasses have gone askew. Adachi looks around, perhaps, hoping to find a counter to put the drinks he is holding.

Seeing his dilemma, Kurosawa pockets his phone and adjusts the bags so that they hang on his forearm. Kurosawa grabs one of the drinks Adachi is holding. He does not remember which one is his.

Adachi begins to arrange the sunglasses, carefully lining the bridge to the mount.

“Oh!” Adachi removes an aviator classic with black lenses from the rack and wears it on Kurosawa.

They both turn to look in the mirror. “Whoah, Kurosawa, you look cool!”  
Kurosawa can’t help but snort at the comment. Before he could say anything, Adachi is back again at the sunglasses rack, perhaps to look for one for himself.

He returns with a similar-looking pair, though the lenses are darkerer, and the square shape is more pronounced. Oddly, there is a string attached to the joint, where the frame rim and temple meet.

“What do you think?” Adachi asks him while wearing the glasses.

“Whoah, so handsome!” Kurosawa grabs his phone, of course.

“What is this thing?” Adachi flicks the dangling string from the corner of his sunglasses, then pulls it down.

The lenses open forward. Adachi lets go of the string, and the lenses go down. Adachi pulls the string down once more, and the lenses flip up once again.

They burst into laughter, and discretion is thrown out of the window.

Kurosawa feels silly, feeling like a child once again. He does not care, though. It is in moments like this that he finds his most treasured memories with Adachi. Right here, in the corner of a nondescript clothing shop, is the axis of Kurosawa’s world at the moment. Laughing to their heart’s content, only they exist in the world.

“Excuse me, do you guys find everything okay?” the young lady that greeted them appears behind Adachi.

Well, up until that moment, at least.

“Yes!” Adachi turns around quickly, his response sounding more like a knee-jerk reaction. “We’ll get everything!” Adachi adds just as abruptly.

She looks at his cap and smiles. “Ok, just tell me when you’re ready.”

Adachi’s cheeks are turning pink. “Also, Uhm, I’m getting the mustard yellow cap, right there.” he points to the item, past Kurosawa.

“Also, we’ll pay now.” 

“Okay, just follow me to the front, please.” She disappears behind the shelves after retrieving the cap Adachi pointed.

“I haven’t taken a picture yet,” Kurosawa whispers to Adachi.

“It’s fine. It’s embarrassing enough as it is.” Adachi lowers his head, his voice faltering. “Y-you can take some at home.”

Kurosawa inhales sharply, feeling giddy all over. “That’s a promise.” The lilt in his voice betrays his excitement.

“Hn,” Adachi nods once before walking away to pay.

🍒🍒🍒

Stripes of light paint the ground as slivers of sunlight break through the budding tree. Kurosawa’s outstretched legs catch the sun’s warmth, as there is not enough room for them under the shade. He does not mind, though. The cool summer breeze makes up for it.

Adachi found the spot, past a small hill, just away enough from the crowd to give them privacy but not too much that they didn't see other people. Kurosawa leans back on his arms, having just finished his crepe, careful not to touch the wildflowers behind him. His half-eaten sandwich sits on his abdomen. It’s going to have to wait until later that day to be entirely eaten. He looks at Adachi sitting beside him cross-legged. He is alternating between the crepes and the fries. His sandwich was long gone, its wrapper crumpled inside the plastic bag along with their other trash. 

Kurosawa learned early into their relationship that Adachi could have a huge appetite, especially when he likes the food. And Kurosawa is more than happy to indulge him. It’s yet another way they compliment each other: he likes to cook, and Adachi likes to eat. 

Adachi slurps the last remaining drops of his cold matcha tea through his straw, sucking air noisily at the end. He has that quiet contentment in his look, silently savoring the moment with good food - a far cry from his worried state earlier. He expected Adachi to be taciturn, distant even. So, when he started leading the way, it was a pleasant surprise. 

I’ve done nothing. 

Does he know how happy he makes him? Does he know how much better his life is now that he is with him? That the dreams he used to buoy him from the weight of living are now the realities he wakes up to? That each day is much better than before with him and Adachi side by side, making memories and living life?  
He had told him about them before, waxed poetic about the depths of his feelings. And he will repeat those words, a thousand times more, if needs be.

“Adachi, can I tell you something?”

🍒🍒🍒

Adachi lowers his food and wipes the grease on his mouth with the back of his hand. He’s nervous. He knows that this will happen. His anxious fit this morning was embarrassing. It was him who inconvenienced Kurosawa, and yet he was the one who needed consoling. Their little excursion was his way to make up with Kurosawa. He still needs to apologize, though. 

“Uhmm, about this morning…” he starts meekly, his head bowed down.

Kurosawa cuts him off. 

“Thank you.”

He jerks his head up in surprise and sees Kurosawa smiling, more blinding than a thousand suns.

“Eh? Thank you for what?” Adachi asks, nonplussed by Kurosawa’s words.

“Hmmm,” Kurosawa presses his lips together. “Let’s see. Thank you for the food. They were delicious.”

“You were the one who told me about that place.” Adachi interrupts.

“Ok, fair. But you’re the one who paid, so thank you for that.” 

Adachi’s brows furrow in confusion. He just doesn't know what Kurosawa is sometimes thinking (Well, he used to. He only needed a touch). Kurosawa had told him before that he was full of surprises. Adachi could say the same thing about him.

“Thank you for the hat and the glasses.” Kurosawa continues. As much as the red-faced Kurosawa amuses him, he cannot bear the thought of him suffering from heat all because he needed time to cool off.

“Thank you for posing for a picture with that silly hat. It must have been embarrassing for you, but you did it anyway. So, thank you.” 

It was embarrassing, especially when the shop attendant caught him. But Kurosawa’s laugh made it all worth it.

“Thank you for sharing this morning with me.” Kurosawa looks at him, his eyes are so gentle, so warm, and so fond. Typically, it would fill him with so much joy. But the guilt inside of him is more potent and gnawing its way out.

“Why?” Adachi gives him a sheepish look, still in disbelief of what he had just heard. “Why are you thanking me? Shouldn’t you be angry at me? Or annoyed, at least?

Kurosawa blinks rapidly and tilts his head, his shock written all over his face. He brings his legs to himself and sits cross-legged as he adjusts his position to face Adachi wholly. “Why would I be angry at you?”

“This morning, you woke up early because of the fire alarm which I caused. Then, I snapped at you too.”

“Do you think those things would make me angry?” Kurosawa takes Adachi’s hands and squeezes them gently. “Look, if I get angry at you for some reason, I would tell you. You wouldn’t have to guess, okay? Then we’ll work it out.”

Adachi opens his mouth then closes them once again. The absence of his thoughts allows Kurosawa’s words to flow through him, slowly filling him to the brim gently. If it weren’t for their interlocked hands, he wouldn’t think it’s real.

“And Adachi, don’t tell yourself that you have done nothing. You may not realize it, but you have done so much. Remember that night I thought I was going to get fired? If it weren't for you staying by my side, I wouldn’t have the strength to face the morning.”

Adachi swallows the lump forming in his throat and blinks away the unexpected tears.

“You are strong when I am not. I don’t have to pretend when I’m around you. You’re thoughtful, and you’re kind. I love you, and I know that you feel the same way for me too.”

Kurosawa looks at him fondly and with all the gentleness in the world. Adachi is now a sobbing mess. There is no point holding back his tears now. He presses the ball of his palms against his eyes and says, “You’re so sappy, Kurosawa!” 

He laughs in between his sobs, and Kurosawa joins him. Adachi lunges forward and wraps Kurosawa in a tight embrace. He does not say anything. He doesn’t have to. He knows that Kurosawa knows how he feels as he tightens his grip on Kurosawa’s shirt, pulling him even closer.

🍒🍒🍒

They are sitting on the sofa entangled with each other watching a movie. Adachi’s head rests on Kurosawa’s shoulder, his eyes are getting heavier by the minute. He had lost track of the film as he continually drifts in and out of his consciousness. He decides that it’s best to retire for the night.

“Kurosawa, I’m going to bed.” 

“Hm?” he looks up to Adachi, who is now standing up. “Ok, this is almost over. I’ll go to bed right after. Good night”

“Night.” From the corner of his eyes, he sees Kurosawa take a mouthful of popcorn.

He goes to a kitchen for a glass of water before heading to the bedroom. On his way, he stops in front of the small coffee table nestled at the corner right before the short passage entrance leading to the bedroom. It’s where they put items that usually need their immediate attention (i.e., keys and bills). It also has a picture frame with their photo taken from their first practice date in it. However, a singular flower held in a makeshift vase from a small yogurt glass takes center stage. Its slender petals are fiery red, golden yellow outlining its edges, and the center is a striking shade of orange. Adachi got the flower from the park. Somehow, he managed to keep it unnoticed until they reached their apartment. It earned him a peck on the cheek.

Sometimes, he cannot believe that this is his life now - a far cry from solitude and bare existence. He does not think of himself as a believer. Still, there has to be some sort of entity somewhere out there, pulling strings, that gave him some mind-reading abilities (as crazy as it sounds), which ultimately resulted in this - him going to bed and Kurosawa joining him later. 

It’s nothing short of a miracle.

Adachi turns around and sees Kurosawa glued to the TV. Right there is the man that accepts him for all of who he is, even the parts of him that he does not like. On days when the rain comes pouring in, he can count Kurosawa’s love like an umbrella protecting them - them, because he’s not alone anymore - and vice versa. Or on days when the sun is shining bright, together they will bask in its warmth. 

He hears Kurosawa gasp quietly as the character on TV draws a gun.

Adachi takes five steps forward, coming up behind him.

“Kurosawa”

🍒🍒🍒

He feels the weight of Adachi from behind as he wraps his arms around his neck.

“Good night. I love you.” Adachi says. He turns around to face Adachi and is met with a kiss instead. Adachi is gone as soon as he arrived. A bit slow on the uptake, Kurosawa did not register what happened until he heard the sound of his bedroom door closing. Slowly, he sets the bowl of popcorn aside, turns the tv off, and joins Adachi in the bedroom.

Adachi feels the dipping on the other side of the bed. Eyes shut, lying on his side, and facing the other way, Adachi does not stir. Kurosawa’s arm wraps around his torso, his lips grazing the back of his ears.

“Adachi,” Kurosawa whispers, his voice gravelly.

Adachi does not stir.

Kurosawa kisses the back of his ear, then starts to go down the length of his neck. Adachi tenses as Kurosawa brushes his lips to the part where he is most ticklish.

“Adachi,” he whispers once again. Kurosawa shifts, and he’s practically on top of him, weighing Adachi down.

“I can’t,” he responds, voice breathy. “We need to be early tomorrow.”

“Repeat it. Please”

Oh, he means _that._

Adachi presses his lips together in hopes of barring the laughter that’s trying to escape, but to no avail. His laughter rings loud in their quiet bedroom.

“Adachi!” Kurosawa protests. He presses his forehead against Adachi’s temple.

“Say it! Say it! Say it!” Kurosawa tickles Adachi’s side.

“Ok! Ok!” He faces Kurosawa, who had since lifted himself with both his arms on either Adachi’s sides.

The sparkle in his eyes is unmistakable under the dim lights.

Adachi clears his throat and takes his moment.

“Kurosawa”

“Hm?”

Adachi pauses for a moment.

“Good night.”

“Adachi!” Kurosawa launches a tickle attack on Adachi’s sides, neck, and underarms. Adachi laughs out loud as he writhes underneath him.

“Stop, stop, stop! Ok, I’ll say it!”

Though his hands are holding Adachi’s waist, Kurosawa halts, ready to launch again at any minute. Somehow, Kurosawa ended up straddling Adachi.

Kurosawa looks at him expectantly, feeling extremely, immensely, and extraordinarily giddy.

Both Adachi and Kurosawa smile uncontrollably.

“I love you,” Adachi whispers hurriedly.

Kurosawa closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Hearing those words will never not give him butterflies in his stomach. He feels as though he is standing in the middle of a prairie, running his hands through the tall grasses with the wind caressing his face. He flops to his side of the bed and spoons Adachi. 

"I love you, too" he declares. Simple but simultaneously profound. Small words capturing his big emotions.

Adachi turns around and buries his face against Kurosawa’s neck. They stay like that for a few minutes, holding each other and feeling the rise and fall of their chests as they breathe.

Then, underneath his shirt, Kurosawa feels Adachi’s touch.

They didn’t sleep that night.

_****_ ****

**__**

🍒Fin🍒.

**__**


End file.
